Wicked Sisters is a Doctor Who audio boxset with three stories written by Simon Guerrier for Big Finish Productions. Lisa Bowerman serves as director with Peter Davison starring as the Fifth Doctor. He is joined by Louise Jameson as Leela. Ciara Jansen and Laura Doddington play the Graceless sisters known as Abby and Zara. The guest cast is comprised of Tom Mahy, Pandora Clifford, Dan Starkey, Anjli Mohindra, Nicky Goldie, Paul Courtney Hyu, and the director herself playing the Smoke Creatures.

Leela has recruited the Doctor to find a pair of sisters with whom he had met during previous audio series which had him reassemble the Key to Time once again. Anny and Zara were initially created to track down the six segments to the Key to Time. They were at odds at one time but now work together to use their vast god-like powers to help others. Their efforts have lead to actually threaten all of space and time because it would not be a proper Doctor Who story otherwise. Leela wants the Doctor to help convince the sisters to end their own lives, but the Time Lord is not so sure something so drastic is needed. Anyway, there are three interconnected tales to see how this quest progresses.

The Garden of Storms brings the Doctor and Leela to a planet that looks like a paradise. They find a society that sacrifices those who have reached forty years of age. They find Abby and Zara quickly enough, but they also find a mysterious people made of smoke. This first story is rather interesting and sets up the saga well. The Smoke Creatures make for an interesting villain. I also like that the sisters are dangerous not necessarily evil. It’s one of these shades of gray situations. Jansen and Doddington do have an engaging chemistry, which is important considering the whole thing centers on them. Davison and Jameson have done a previous story together, which is interesting since Louise Jameson is more associated with Tom Baker’s Doctor. It was also pretty cool to see Leela reacting to a different version of the Doctor. They also seemed to work well together. So far, the set has a solid start with this first installation.

The Moonrakers pits the Doctor, Leela, and the sisters against the Sontarans. Dan Starkey returns to the role and continues to provide a compelling performance as the militaristic clones. Although the Sontarans in this story are not quite as hungry for war as usual. It’s not a bad story but not one I would consider a favorite. What was kind of cool is that the four main cast got separated with the Doctor and Zara trapped together while Abby and Leela have to find them. I should mention that Leela’s time on Gallifrey has afforded the opportunity to learn to pilot the TARDIS. I am not sure this particular development is something I find to be a good idea considering, but I guess it serves its purpose. Anyway, it’s good to have Dan Starkey back, and I rather like the Sontarans, but I would not call this particular story anything special.

The whole thing comes to an explosive confrontation with the Smoke Creatures in The People Made of Smoke, appropriately enough. The Doctor may have to sacrifice himself to save the universe and the two powerful sisters. This actually had a rather strong and somewhat moving conclusion, although since there are many Doctors to come after this version, we can still be assured that the Fifth survives his travails.

The whole series was actually quite good though. Some different dynamics were tried and succeeded mostly in being entertaining and compelling. The cast was well selected, which is expected of Big Finish. Abby and Zara have their own spin-off series with Big Finish called Graceless. This little adventure returns them to the company of the Time Lord. I have yet to experience the Graceless series, but that did not really dampen my enjoyment overall of this set. I also prefer that this is a trilogy all written by one guy. Guerrier is a prolific contributor to Doctor Who and Big Finish, and he may not have hit a home run here, but he got a solid hit out of this one.

The Museum of Desire is a suspense novel written by Jonathan Kellerman. It is one of the recent installments to feature Dr. Alex Delaware once again helping out Lt. Milo Sturgis of the LAPD. The title does seem like something one would view on late night Cinemax, however it is not that perverse. The story will not make for good bedtime reading for the little ones though, as is the case for most Kellerman works.

The good doctor is asked to give some thoughts at a rather unusual crime scene in which four homicide victims are posed inside a limousine, and none of them seemed to have been connected to each other in life. Once the victims are identified, the other clues start to come to light. Anyway, there is an art gallery in the center of this whole gruesome business.

The basic premise is pretty intriguing, but there are times that the journey to the truth drags a bit. I guess that is the way it goes in real homicide investigations, but it can get a bit irritating in a crime novel. It is actually Alex’s girlfriend that provides a ,major clue, which was kind of cool. I have read a lot of this series, and I was a little less impressed with this latest addition to Delaware’s case file. Kellerman is a reliable writer, but this series could use a little shot in the arm. I am not sure what that should look like. Anyway, The Museum of Desire was not as desirous as I hoped.

I am no cook and likely to become one, but I am going to get some culinary insight from the late Anthony Bourdain with his autobiography, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.

The Da Vinci Code was first a novel published in 2003 by Dan Brown. In 2006, rabidly popular movie directed by Ron Howard was released. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman. Tom Hanks plays the lead role of Professor Robert Langdon. Langdon teaches iconology and religious history of some sort at Harvard. Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellan, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, and Jean Reno are also included in the main cast. So there is plenty of more than reliable talent on the screen.

Professor Langdon happens to be lecturing in Paris when he is asked by the local constabulary to examine a group of symbols etched into the body of a Louvre curator. This kicks off an examination of the works of Leonardo da Vinci in which all sorts of implications challenges that is known or taught in the Christian faith. There is a murderous monk on the trail of Langdon and the granddaughter of the victim who has become an ally. So there are few chases and scenes of grotesque violence in the midst of overdramatic revelations.

So I am generally a conservative Christian who believes in the teachings of Scripture, but I am going to do my best to put aside my views on what would be considered just blatant blasphemy in which this story spews. I had heard the hype about this film and was prepared to have strong disagreement with the theories presented here. Fortunately, there was no real sense that I needed to question the teachings of my church because of this film. Saying that, I will still a bit disappointed in this film. It had a lot of moments that seemed to drag. It comes in about two and a half hours, and I felt every moment of that and then some. The visual effects and the settings were very compelling though. The performances were fine, which is not surprising considering the cast sheet. I think the problems had more to do with with the screenplay than much else. Visually, it looks great most of the time, but I still had trouble being all that interested in the dialogue, A lot of these alternate revelations and explanations as to the real nature of Jesus Christ. Basically I was just a bit bored with the movie, but surely that would be better than being outraged.

Artemis is a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir and is a follow up to his hit debut The Martian. This one takes place on the moon in a colony known as Artemis. The story is told from the perspective of one Jasmine Bashara, who works as a porter and a part-time smuggler. She lives in a cupboard not much bigger than a coffin. Artemis relies on tourism from Earth. Jazz lets herself be talked into a little heist that will help her out financially. Of course, it all goes wrong and a killer is on her trail. Jazz isn’t a hero, but she has some a little nobility in her and a whole lot of wit.

This is only Weir’s second novel, but it seems evident that he likes to imbue his protagonists with a heavy sardonic view on life. Fortunately, Weir is actually pretty funny so I don’t mind. Jazz is an interesting heroine. She is quite aware of her strengths and faults. Weir has indicated in a printed interview that he really planned out how this city would function if it were real. He apparently made blueprints and created the economy. Although he was kind enough to not bore the reader with all of the details he conceived, he was still able to convey how much work he put into the setting and concepts. He did pretty well with having a woman as his lead character. There were some profound and moving moments as well, however the humor peppered throughout the narrative is what really makes this worth the time. I would certainly recommend some time in Artemis as presented by Andy Weir.

Now that I spent a little time on the moon in the future, I will next return to present day Los Angeles to see how old friends, Dr. Alex Delaware and LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis unravel the secrets of Jonathan Kellerman’s The Museum of Desire.

Mutually Assured Destruction is a Doctor Who audio play released by Big Finish Productions and is another episode in the range known as Time Lord Victorious. Lizzie Hopley is the author of this script with Scott Handcock serving as director. Paul McGann plays the Doctor once again with Nicholas Briggs voicing the Daleks. Samantha Beart and Wilf Scolding also help out as part of the guest cast. They play a couple of last survivors of a world destroyed by the Daleks who have just woken up from cryogenic sleep and have to make their escape alongside the Doctor as the Dalek time ship is disintegrating within the vortex. The Daleks also have the Doctor’s TARDIS, so the Time Lord may have to make a deal he would live to regret.

This is actually a pretty exciting episode. The Daleks are written with somewhat different personalities and motivations from each other, which is a little unusual. McGann seems to be pretty well into it. The two other guest characters were pretty engaging as well. I enjoyed the interactions between the Doctor and Beart’s Tiska. when they finally meet. Anyway, it’s a fun chaotic, claustrophobic sort of situation. It’s not quite the first time that the Doctor has been in this situation, but Hopkins still writes a pretty effectively suspenseful adventure that was reminiscent of a lot of American action movies such as Die Hard. That film was actually referenced in the cast and crew interviews so I can’t full credit for coming up with the comparison on my own. It’s a solid addition to the ever growing Doctor Who universe.

The Grey Man of the Mountain is a Doctor Who audio play released by Big Finish Productions. LIzbeth Myles wrote the script in which Samuel Clements serves as director. The character of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is resurrected once again by Jon Culshaw. Culshaw does a pretty impressive vocal impersonation of the late Nicholas Courtney, who played the role for a couple of a decades in the television series and in a couple of Big Finish episodes. Sylvester McCoy is once again behind the mic as the Seventh Doctor with Sophie Aldred returning as Ace.

The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Ace to a Scottish mountain of Ben MacDul in which they are reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The Brigadier is investigating the disappearance of hikers which seems to be tied to a legendary presence on the mountain known as the Grey Man. Ace and a young woman known as Kristy are separated from the others and face their own challenges as the Doctor and the Brigadier join an expedition that could bring them into the presence of the Grey Man of the Mountain.

The guest cast is also made up of Lucy Goldie, Youssef Kerkour, Vivien Reid, and Guy Adams. They were all well selected as expected by Big Finish casting.

Myles actually uses a well known Scottish legend as an inspiration for her story. Well, the legend is apparently familiar in Scotland anyway. It’s a bad idea and common in the series to utilize such inspirations. Myles does a pretty good job with it.

McCoy and Aldred continue to display their impressive chemistry. It was fun to hear the Brigadier even if he was not performed by the original actor. Culshaw is known in the United Kingdom as a very talented comedian and impressionist, and Big Finish is right to utilize that.

This episode is a solid story with a some very nice treats for the long-time fans and followers of Scottish folklore.

The Death of Superman is an animated superhero film released in 2018 and was written by Peter J. Tomasi. Sam Liu and James Tucker share the director duties on this one. This film was based on a story done by DC Comics several years ago. Jerry O’Connell voices the Man of Steel in this one. Renecca Romijn, Rainn Wilson, Nathan Fillion, and Jason O’Mara are also included in the voice cast.

Clark Kent is in love with Lois Lane and has yet to tell her about his extracurricular activities wearing a cape and blue tights. As they navigate their romantic situation, a deadly alien intruder has landed on Earth. The creature would come to be known as Doomsday, and Superman will face the bloodiest contest he has encountered.

I knew of the story and remember reading some of the comic book version many moons ago. The animation is pretty good as far as I can tell. It isn’t like I am an expert in this sort of thing. There was quite a surprising amount of blood and death throughout this thing. The cast appeared to be well chosen. I am not normally a viewer of animated movies of this sort, but I have been trying something different lately. Superman also is not a favorite superhero for me, but it still ended up being an interesting diversion. I almost found the climactic scene of Superman’s death to be almost touching. I probably would have have been more touched if Superman still wasn’t around. I trust I am not giving too many spoilers away.

Not a whole lot of analysis is needed here, but it was a pretty well done film overall. For those who really get into this type of entertainment and really know the mythos of Superman and Doomsday, I am sure there are many more observations and discussions to be had. Ultimately I liked it well enough to see the follow up film.

The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Steven, and Vicki to an attic in which they find themselves unable to leave. The attic ends up being a labyrinth affected by some sort of time distortion. with alien fungi being at the center of the problem. They are also surprised to find that they at 10 Downing Street in London, the headquarters of the Prime Minister.

There was rather a curious decision made to have O’Brien perform the Doctor’s dialogue as opposed to Peter Purves who does often provide a passable impression of Hartnell. O’Brien actually does a pretty decent job with it. The story is fairly interesting. The sound effects are convincing. I like that it was a somewhat claustrophobic setting. Purves and O’Brien continue to perform well together.

This episode is fairly entertaining. In spite of the rather unusual story premise, it didn’t quite enthrall me as much as I hoped. It didn’t really frustrate me either, so that’s an accomplishment of sorts. I will likely listen to it again, however it may take a while.

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The Ranger is a crime novel written by Ace Atkins and introduces Army Ranger Quinn Colson into the pantheon of literary crime busters. It was first published in 2011.

Quinn Colson has returned to his home state of Mississippi to attend the funeral of his uncle, who served as sheriff of Tibbehah County. It was said that the sheriff had taken his own life, but one of his deputies is not buying it and mentions as much to Quinn. Quinn gets curious enough to uncover all manner of corruption and meth dealing. He has been in the Army for a long time and has plenty of skill and a few allies to help him survive the nights.

Colson is one of these stoic tough guys with a rather traumatic family upbringing. He is a fairly interesting protagonist, but there is nothing extraordinary that stands out all that much. On the other hand, this is Atkins’ debut of what was a new character at that time. Atkins also is the writer who continues the Spenser series on behalf of the late Robert B. Parker. I was intrigued enough to try out his original works. Atkins is a talented writer and is well suited for this genre. There is not much that makes him a standout in this genre, but he is competent, and Quinn is just interesting enough for me to see what else is in store for him.

Andy Weir had some significant success with The Martian, which I enjoyed reading a few years ago, Hopefully, the enjoyment will be matched with Artemis, which is the next reading indulgence.

Plight of the Pimpernel is a Doctor Who audio play released by Big Finish Productions and is written by Chris Chapman. John Ainsworth serves as director of this episode which stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Doctor and Peri, respectively. The guest cast is made up of Jamie Parker, Anthony Howell, Joe Jameson, Stewart Clarke, Rebecca Crankshaw, and Becky Wright.

So, this adventure features the Doctor and Peri meeting someone in 1793 France claiming to be the Scarlet Pimpernel. Before Batman, there was the Scarlet Pimpernel who was created in early twentieth century by Baroness Orczy. The Scarlet Pimpernel was a masked figure who rescued French aristocrats from the guillotine during a period known as the Reign of Terror. The Doctor is somewhat troubled by this since the Scarlet Pimpernel is a fictional character, unlike the Doctor, for the purposes of this story anyway. Matters get even more problematic when murderous androids turn up,. The Pimpernel, played by Jamie Parker, seems to have all kinds of secrets which puts Earth in trouble. Of course, the Earth is often in trouble when the Doctor is on the scene.

This story starts off as what appears to be a pretty fun romp. There is quite a bit of humor at first. The Doctor and Peri have gone undercover, and Peri is apparently posing as the Pimpernel’s wife when this adventure starts. The second half of the story gets a bit grimmer as the identify of the man playing the Pimpernel is revealed. There are some great performances here. Colin Baker’s version of the Doctor really shines in moments of righteous indignation, and he gets a particularly memorable moment when a rather profound betrayal is uncovered. Peris gets to indulge in a profound telling off, which is performed beautifully by Nicola Bryant. The guest cast is pretty well selected. Jamie Parker has a very distinct voice and was well chosen to play the Pimpernel. This episode has one of the most surprising twits I have heard in some time. The sound effects were also convincing. This is another episode which was recorded while the United Kingdom was in COVID lockdown.

Although it seems that I have not heard an episode from Big Finish that was really bad in some time, I do find this particular episode to be one of the better ones recorded in recent years.